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HEY NIKIGNIK?? HEY NIKIGNIK???

god i was trying to clean but i ended up just standing in my kitchen like this

#me at work trying to answer emails

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Fandom Manifesto: Hello From The Hallowoods

(Originally written for the Fandomanifesto community on Pillowfort.)

Here's a (mostly spoiler-free) fandom manifesto for my favorite podcast, Hello From The Hallowoods. (Please try to keep the comments on this post spoiler-free as well.)

What is a fandom manifesto?

Inspired by ship manifestos, a fandom manifesto is an essay meant to introduce people to a fandom and promote it by explaining its appeal. It's a really fun tradition that I would love to keep going.

What is Hello From The Hallowoods?

Darker than your dreams, and farther North than you remember, there is a forest where life and death meet…

Hello From The Hallowoods is a queer horror podcast written and produced by William A. Wellman (they/them). This is the official description (taken from Spotify):

Come walk between the black pines! In this award-winning queer fiction podcast, a cosmic narrator follows the increasingly connected residents of the forest at the end of the world. It's a bittersweet story that explores queer identity, horror genre tropes, and finding hope in humanity's last moments.

It's set in a forest in northern Canada (the Hallowoods) in a post-apocalyptic world plagued by the black rains. The story follows the inhabitants of the Hallowoods—only some of whom are alive and human—as their lives become increasingly interconnected. 

The podcast is narrated by Nikignik (he/they), also known as One Hundred Eyes in the Dark, an eldritch god who speaks directly to the listener via their nightmares. He begins to tell these stories because he's grieving his partner, another god called Marolmar (he/him), and humans were the last thing Marolmar created. Over time, Nikignik changes from a more passive narrator to an active character in the story.

There are a lot of characters, including but not limited to:

a nonbinary Frankenstein's creature piercing together their identity

a trans ghost dealing with his occultist father

an invisible man finding love at first sight

a genderfluid storm witch trying to prove themself

a retired rockstar and her punk butch lesbian daughter

a floral-suit-wearing demon on a celestial audit of earth

a starwolf on a mission to kill said demon

a killer robot skull and his pet dead seagull

an unkindness of ravens (yes, they are one character)

… and many, many more.

How scary is it?

It's a horror podcast, so there are some scary moments, but for me, the story feels very comforting and bittersweet as it explores horror tropes in a really unique way. According to the website:

It's been described as a show that helps you sleep easier, rather than one that keeps you up at night.

The story also explores themes like religious trauma, isolation, death, grief, and queerphobia, so please check the content warnings at the end of each episode description or at the start of each episode transcript. Transcripts are available on the website.

Why should I listen to it?

If the description above didn't convince you, here are some more reasons why you should listen to Hello From The Hallowoods. 

There is so much content! I often complain about books being almost always standalones or duologies lately and TV seasons only being 8-10 episodes. If I really like something, I want to spend as much time with it as possible!

With HFTH, I don't have that problem because there is so much to listen to! There are currently (almost) 150 episodes available (plus a few live shows and bonus episodes), and new episodes come out every Wednesday. There are also weekly 100-word bonus stories on Patreon, and a tie-in novel called One Hundred Eyes In The Dark is currently in the works, so if you're looking for a story you can get really invested in (or if you're angry that all your favorite shows have been canceled), HFTH is perfect for you!

There are so many queer characters, disabled characters, and characters of color! If you're looking for a really diverse show, you will love HFTH. (I cried when I heard a character describe herself as aromantic.) But even aside from the diversity, the characters are just amazing. I mean, "What if Frankenstein's creature got love and support and was an absolute cinnamon roll?" is the perfect character concept. The villains are also really compelling and well-written. 

It's a great introduction to podcasts, especially for book lovers, because it often feels like a very immersive audiobook! The voice acting and music are incredible, and even though there are a lot of characters, you can tell them apart very easily by their voices. If you like fantasy and horror books, this could be your introduction to the world of audio dramas. 

That being said, if you have listened to other horror podcasts before, you will still love this one! It sometimes reminds me of Welcome To Night Vale, but the setting and characters are very unique, and the writing is so, so beautiful. 

It's also a great introduction to horror! I used to avoid horror media because I get scared very easily, but horror podcasts (and especially Hello From The Hallowoods) made me discover how much I actually enjoy horror. HFTH explores horror tropes in such a kind, unique, and hopeful way, and as sappy as that sounds, listening to it makes the horrors of everyday life a little easier to deal with. 

If you like Malevolent (another really great horror podcast), Harlan Guthrie has a guest role in HFTH! You might also recognize Mx. Wellman's voice from other podcasts like WOE.BEGONE, The Silt Verses or Old Gods of Appalachia. 

The fandom is amazing! Everyone is so kind and talented, and we always have a lot of fun theorizing about what will happen next. There's even a fan-run Discord server!

We also have a fan wiki, and in addition to the official information, we also have a "fun gender" for each character. Here are some of my favorites:

Tumblr Sexyman (Official)

Eye-Affiliated Podcast Host

Deer that will fuck you up

Whatever the hell was going on with the guy from Shape Of Water

Nightmare Personality

Hot Topic Goth

Dilf Automobile

How do I listen to it?

You can listen to Hello From The Hallowoods on the podcatcher of your choice. Here are some suggestions from the Hallowoods website:

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

Podbean

YouTube

Google Podcasts

It's not an anthology, so please listen to it from the beginning to see how the different characters and plot threads come together. 

The show is entirely ad-free and sponsor-free, so if you like it and want to financially support it, please consider joining the show’s Patreon.

And that's it! There are many things I didn't include for spoiler reasons, but this should give you a basic idea of what HFTH is about and why I love it so much. 

I hope I convinced you to listen to Hello From The Hallowoods, and maybe you will love it as much as I do!

#hfth

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pet the diggory

SQUISH THE DIGGORY

feel bad and gently pet them again

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HFTH Comic

In the end Diggory declined Percy’s offer

A self indulgent sibling comic

Transcript

Page one:

Percy: you know, your eyebrows are a bit uneven. I could even them out if you want.

Diggory: Actually, my siblings told me a story of when I was being made.

Many Years Ago…

Irene Mend: I want it to be perfect, alright?

Floris: I’ll do my best. Alright Diggory. Let’s get started.

Page two:

Huntington: I’m here. What are you doing to Graves?

Floris: a shave

Page 3:

Floris: Don’t move me.

*tsk* you’re gonna make me mess up-

Oh…

Page 4:

Floris: HUNTINGTON!

Diggory: Apparently they felt bad and ended up shaving their eyebrows too

Percy: Ah

#hello from the hallowoods #hfth #diggory graves #percy reed #floris scrubbs #huntington waites #oh to be an annoying sibling #it’s been my job for the past 23 years #this is just a headcanon of my design of them

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I LOVE HELLO FROM THE HALLOWOODS!!!!!!!!!

#I am consuming every frame #its the cutest thing ive ever seen

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re: shuro dungeon meshi

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Daily Diggory Doodles~ 7

Floris is actually mad at them, they’re just very passionate about cleaning floors

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ok yall i was relistening HFTH 140 and had an idea for a big ol' fan project (maybe an animation? or just a long comic?)

so in 140, right before the end, theres the recap of loads of different characters/storylines (pictured in the transcript below). 34-36 of them, depending on how you split it.

so, my idea is for everyone to take a couple (amount depends on how many join in) and draw the little snapshot scene

this would be so much work but i think we could do it.

reply in tags/comments if youre interested !! ive never been in charge of any projects like this so i have no idea what im doing haha

#hello from the hallowoods #i am interested #👀

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Me: I hate gossip

Also me:

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I think about them everyday

A sketchy sketch of my favorite (ha!)

#hello from the hallowoods #hfth #floris scrubbs #they show up milliseconds at a time and I cherish each one #also hc that all the mendies are adored by the children at the scout post

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just finished ep 83 😐

Mx. Wellman you are an incredible writer but OUCH

Oh you’re in the bad place

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Am I getting a good grade in tumblr mutual?

#A+ #a pleasure to have in class

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Part 3 out of 3

Part 1 and part 2

Lyrics from The Machine (Intro) by Jukebox the Ghost

#hello from the hallowoods #hfth #hfth spoilers #hfth season 3 #Jackie and Heidi Mendoza #hector mendoza #the count #Ray Marley #Ricou Chapman #Nolan Thair #hfth creep #olivier song #danielle o'hara #moth scarberry #nikignik #hfth marolmar #diggory graves #too many people #finally done with this #gonna make a long post soon

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There is something about these 4 that I can’t get enough of

HFTH Role reversal AU I guess lol

#hello from the hallowoods #hfth #riot maidstone #diggory graves #percy reed #olivier song #role reversal au #Diggory with eyes can’t hurt me #also the lines on Diggory are scars

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i need to draw the new characters i need to draw the new characters i need to

oops guess who drew olivier again

(@hellofromthehallowoods )

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Daily Diggory Doodles 5, feat. Nimbus!!!